Rotary table



May 26,-1931.

H. W. GOETZ ET AL ROTARY TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26, 1928 1 NVEN TORS #555591 [1. 62272 H. w. GOETZ ET AL 1,807,286

ROTARY TABLE Filed'lllrch 26'. 19'28 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmvrons areas 14!m ,ezzey c apex:

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Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT orricE HERBERT w. GOETZ, orALHAMBRA, RALPH c. CLARK, or Los- ANGELES, AND JOHN J.

' FERLIN, or rrUNTINGToN PARK, CALIFORNIA I 1 ROTARY TABLE Applicationfiled March 26, 1928. Serial No. 264,690.

This invention is a spider for holding a I string of well piping as itis withdrawn or inserted in a well, the presentinvention being animprovement upon our copending appllcation Ser. No. 264,691, filed March26, 1928, and relating particularly to a spider construction built intoa usual rotary table and adapted to support a string of rotary drillpipe as it is withdrawn or lowered through the rotary table, or adaptedto be shifted to inoperative position in the rotary table where it willnot hinder usual Working of the rotary drilling apparatus.

The spider construction preferably provides at least a three pointgripping engagement, with the gripping jaws definmg a closed annulussurrounding the drill pipe and adapted for dependent, counterbalancedshifting to either operative or inoperative position so as to providefor operation with minimum effort and insure a positive and uniform'gripping action which will accurately center the drill pipe in thegripping annulus and avoid all distortion of the pipe.

It is an object of the invention to so mount the jaw operating means ina rotary tableas to provide for rotary driving connections between therespective operating means in order that they may be dependentlyactuated, without obstructing the bore of the rotary table nor hinderingits normal operations when the spider is not in use.

It is a further object of the invention to mount the jaw operating meansin suitable recesses in the rotary table, so disposed that the operatingconnections are free to swing the jaws to operative and inoperativeposition, and are adapted for reception entirely within said recessesand out of the way when the spider is not in use.

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from thefollowing de- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the jawsremoved and their operating connections in inoperative position.

Figs- 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail sections on the lines H, 55, 6-6, and 7-7of Fig. 1;

The spider is adapted to be built into a usual rotary table 1 having thebore 2 countersunk at its upper end as shown at 3 to receive the usualmaster bushing which is em-. ployed when a string of drill pipe isgripped in the bore of the table and rotated thereby.

The gripping jaws of the spider are detached from their operatingconnections when the rotary table is in use for the drilling operation,and the jaw operating means are swung back out of the way in suitablerecesses communicating with bore 2 so'as to allow the master bushingbeing placed in the bore for proceeding with the drilling. When thespider is to be used the master bushing is removed and the jaw operatingmeans may then be swung from their re 'cesses and the jaws mountedthereon, so that dependent movement of the operating connections willswing the jaws to either operative or inoperative position.

In order to provide at least a three point gripping engagement by thejaws and still accommodate the spider mechanism in the rotary table soas not to interfere with normal drilling operations, it is preferablethat four gripping jaws and their corresponding operating connections beemployed, and such is the construction herein shown and described.

As an instance of this arrangement elongated recesses 5 are provided inthe upper surface of table 1 and communicate with the counter-bore 3,and are four in number equi-distantly circumferentially spaced with theends of adjacent recesses connected by elongated recesses 6 which arealso perpendicular to radii of bore 2 but need not necessarily openinto, the counter-bore 3. The operatingmeans for the gripping jaws aremounted in the respective recesses 5, and driving connections betweenadjacent operating means extend along the respective recesses6. I

The aw operating means comprise shafts 10 journaled in axially spacedbearing lugs 11 in recesses 5, and a pair of arms 12 is fixed on eachshaft between its bearing lugs,

and at their free ends the pairs of arms carry jaws 18 which cooperatewhen swung to operative position to define a closed annular grippingmeans concentric with -bore 2.and adapted to engage the stringof drillpipe extending therethrough. \Vhen moved to inoperative position thegripping jaws-disengage the string of drill pipe and .are swung back tosubstantially horizontal position overlying the recesses so that :thestring of drill pipe may be raised or lowered without obstruction by thejaws.

The jaw which is carried byeach pair of arms '12is readilydetachabletherefrom, and is shown as an elongated arcute structurepreferably having concave gripping surface transversely serrated, andprovided at its convex surface with a lug 18 adapted for receptionbetween the pair of arms 12 and connected thereto by a removable pin 20so that concave bearing lugs 19 which project from the convex surface ofthe jaw are journaled on bearing surfaces 17 at the swinging extremities16 of arms :12.

In order that the cooperating jaws may define a closed annulus when inoperative position, they each embrace an arc of substantially 90 whenfour of such jaws are employed as in the embodiment illustrated, and bythe mounting for the jaws as has been described it will be seen that bydependently rotating shafts 10 the jaws are adapted for dependentmovement to operative or inoperative position as shown in full anddotted lines in Fig. 2.

its

The shafts 1.0 are adapted for dependent ation b' drivin connectionsextendin a I I I s 6, and these driving connecnaled in bearing lugs 26in recessesG, with the adjacent ends of shafts 10' and'25 provided withmeshing bevel gears 27 whereby turning any one of the shafts willdopendently swing all of the grippingjaws to operative or inoperativeposition. The shafts 25 may be provided with collars 28 which have bores29 adapted for reception of a suitable operating lever (not shown), sothat with such a lever engaged in any one of said bores the lever may bemanually shifted to swing all of'the jaws to operative or inoperativeposition.

Segments of gears 27 are preferably cut away as shown'at 31, and thegears aswell as collars 15, through which the arms 12 are secured toshafts 1O, are preferably counterweighted shown at 32, 33 respectively,in order'to form. a counterbalanced construction whereby the aws maybe'readily swung to either peiutive or inoperative position with thecounterweights aiding such swinging movement from the moment that it isinitiated; and the recesses 5 and 6 are of thesurface of the rotarytable so as to form inclined abutment surfaces .40 for limiting swingingof arms 12 to their inoperative position, the said inclined abutmentsur- 'faces'being so positioned as to allow the aws to swing rearwardlysubstantially en- .tirely beyondithe :vertical dead centers of theoperatingarms as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

\Vhen drilling is to be resumed after 'using the spider, the jaws 13 areremoved "by -withdrawingpins 20,'and arms 12 are swung downwardly intoprolongations of recesses 5 which extend into the wall 'of bore 2 asshown at 35, the parts being so arranged that with the'arms thus.inoperative ly *positioned they no longer project into either bore 2 orcounter-bore 3 and the master bushing A may'consequently be replaced inthebore'ofthe rotary table for'resuming the drilling operation. Theentire spider structured. thusadapted for receptionwithin the rotarytable where it is out of the way, but it is immediately available foruse by re moving the master bushing of the rotary table I and mountingthe jaws on the ends of their arms.

We have thus provided an extremely practical spider structure embodyingat least a three point gripping engagement, andadapted for mounting in-ausual rotary tablesoas'to in no-way interfere with normal operation 'ofthe rotary table during the drilling operation, but being immediatelyavailable when it isdesired to use-the spider, with the grippingelements depend-- ently operated so that the pressure "is uni-- formthroughout the gripping annulus.

We claim:

1. In combination, a base provided with a bore adapted to receive astring of well piping and also provided withsa recess com municatingwith said bore,.an arm having a pivotal mounting insaid recess, and agripping, aw connected to the swinging end of the arm and. adapted toengage the well piping-or be swung back to inoperative po sition abovethe base by swinging movement of the arm, the said recess having a rearabutment surface so positioned as to permit rearward swinging of the armto a position whereby substantially the entire gripping jaw isswung'rearwardly beyond the vertical dead centeriof said pivotalmounting for the arm.

2. In combination, a'base provided with a bore adapted to receive astring of well piping and also provided with a recess: cominunicatingwith said bore, an arm having a pivotal mounting in said recess, and agripping jaw detachably connected to the swing ing end of the arm andadapted to engage the well piping or be swung back to inoperativeposition above the base by swinging movement of the arm, the swingingend of the arm being adapted for reception in the recess clear of thebore after the jaw is detached from the arm.

3. In combination, a base provided with a bore adapted to receive astring of well piping and also provided with a recess communicating withsaid bore, an arm having a pivotal mounting in said recess, and agripping jaw detachably connected to the swinging end of the arm andadapted to engage the well piping or be swung back to inoperativeposition above the base by swinging movement of the arm, the swingingend of the arm being adapted for reception in the recess clear of thebore after the jaw is detached from the arm, with said recess extendinginto the base to a depth whereby substantially the entire arm is belowthe upper surface of the base when the arm after the jaw is detachedtherefrom is received in the recess clear of the bore.

4. In combination, a base provided with a bore adapted to receive astring of well piping and also provided with a recess communicating withsaid bore, an arm having a pivotal mounting in said recess, and agripping jaw detachably connected to the swinging end of the arm andadapted to engage the well piping or be swung back to inoperativeposition above the base by swinging movement of the arm, the said recesshaving a rear abutment surface so positioned as to permit rearwardswinging of the arm to a position whereby substantially the entiregripping jaw is swung rearwardly beyond the vertical dead center of saidpivotal mounting for the arm, and the swinging end of the arm beingadapted for reception in the recess clear of the bore after the jaw isdetached from the arm.

5. In combination, a base provided with a bore adapted to receive astring of well piping and also provided with a recess communicating withsaid bore, an arm having a pivotal mounting in said recess, and agripping jaw detachably connected to the swinging end of the arm andadapted to engage the well piping or be swung back to inoperativeposition above the base by swinging movement of the arm, the said recesshaving a rear abutment surface so positioned as to permit rearwardswinging of the arm to a position whereby substantially the entiregripping jaw is swung rearwardly beyond the vertical dead center of saidpivotal mounting for the arm, and the swinging end of the arm beingadapted for reception in the recess clear of the bore after the jaw is

